


Martial Violin

by StrawhatsAndDelibirds



Category: One Piece
Genre: backstory fic, looks happy but it's very bitter sweet, too impatient to wait for Oda to do it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 01:16:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17132261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrawhatsAndDelibirds/pseuds/StrawhatsAndDelibirds
Summary: From rags to riches and back again.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Of course Brook would end up with my 69th fic. Not planned but what are the odd?

Thriller Bark was a peaceful little country tucked away into the woods on a large island. It was backed against the sea and faced out towards two larger nations, but none the less it still valiantly stood it’s ground against the encroachment on all sides. Both were too busy in their war to worry about a sleepy little nation hidden away in the trees, so they had little to worry about. They’d deal with each other in due time.

Small little cities dotted the country side, tucked away in the trees. It had a quiet stillness to it that felt almost like time was standing still. The bakers baked, the farmers tended to their crops. The kids would play in the street as their parents caught up with each other, maybe speaking of merchants that had stopped by to their little village in passing. Most villagers never dreamt of going beyond where they were born. Most picked up their parents’ trade and were quite content to live that life.

But a select few dreamt of bigger things. Of the castle up on the hill that over looked their sleepy little kingdom with stone walls that stretched to the heavens themselves. Most could only imagine the splendor of the castle, with tales from passing knights and merchants as they tell stories in taverns and whisper secrets to the awe stricken children of the glory and might of that castle of legend.

Even if they never saw it, most would say that it was their nation’s greatest treasure. Just as they viewed their own situation, it stood tall, proud, and unshaken against the odds that it faced. So long as that castle stood, there was nothing that they had to fear.

Though most would say that the knights themselves held more wonder and awe than the tall, stone walls. As much as they treasured it, they could never dream of being a castle. They patrolled the land with their carefully trained skills. Many a legend had been told of them. Most brushed them off as scary stories told to keep little children in line, but even as they were grown they found themselves acting a bit more right in their presence.

Or so that was what Brook had always been told. There was never any need for the knights to venture this far out, and his sea side town was far too bustling for him or really anyone to enjoy the quite life of a villager in the woods. He already knew that the castle was far beyond something that he could ever see.

But still he found himself hoping for something grander than the hand he had been dealt. Playing music was nice, but it didn’t mean much if his audience was nothing more than passers by hurrying along to their next stop. Some were unloading and some were stocking up, but few had time or cash to spare.

Even if he couldn’t make it to the big time, Brook would almost rather take up life in one of those small villages. It might not be glamorous, but he was certain that a life like that would be better. A close community was no doubt better than the constant rotation of faces that didn’t care about him and the residents that saw him as nothing more than an annoyance.

The issue, however, was that what he needed for this was money. He’d need enough food to get him to the next village. He wasn’t sure if he even had enough for tonight. He was at the mercy of the whims of the masses. If they felt generous, then he might even get enough to save for his trip. If not, he might be going a little hungry that night.

Fortune favored the bold. So just as he had every day that he could remember, he’d pick up his violin and head to the market place to play. It was loud, but it was busy. If he just played loud enough, maybe he’d bring enough attention to himself and get some money. Hopefully everyone was in a good enough mood today. No one wanted to play for a grumpy audience.

Today there was something in the air that he couldn’t place. It wasn’t uncommon to hear commotion in the market place, but it sounded further away. Brook was usually great at keeping track of these sorts of thing, but maybe a party or a festival was happening. That’d be great for him because lots of people were more likely to listen and give him money than on a normal day. He wouldn’t call himself smart, seeing as he wasn’t schooled and was a child, but Brook knew better than to pass up an opportunity like this.

He went to his normal spot and looked around for the crowd. He readied his violin, only to be greeted by no one. Now that was odd. It was usually the market place that was busy if there was a festival, but today it was completely barren. He could still hear the people, but they seemed to get further away the deeper to the market he went. This wasn’t what usually happened at all.

Brook was going to have to focus. He was going to have to use his ears and listen. It was no different than a normal day, in that sometimes he had to pick a better spot. Couldn’t always rely on the same old spot everyday. He had gotten pretty good at this. You didn’t make it this far as a starving artist by not being able to find out where people were. Brook had to stop listening to his gut and start listening to his brain.

The roar of the crowd started to get louder as he approached the main street. That was an odd place to gather, the market fit way more people than the street. That much was obvious as he elbowed his way through the crowd to find a better spot. He’d ignore those thoughts because it wasn’t like he knew a lot about party throwing to begin with.

He did, however, know a great idea when he saw one. A crowd like this really only meant one thing, and who was Brook to throw away a golden opportunity like this. He was going to eat good tonight, and he knew that for sure. He didn’t even care what everyone was excited about. He’d put his hat down at his feet and he’d start playing. With so many people around, he’d have to get a ton of money!

Just how his glasses were, no one would be able to tell if his eyes were closed or not. Brook found that he’d get distracted if he watched as people donated to him, but you couldn’t get distracted if you never looked. His foot would always be touching his hat, so he’d feel if anyone tried to take it. He also got good at telling if someone was lingering in front of him. Because that usually meant that they were taking money from his hat, and he couldn’t let a thing like that happen.

Brook could faintly feel someone lingering too close. And while his gut had steered him wrong already today, he couldn’t stop himself from opening his eyes. There was a grown man, knelt down and staring at him. His music trailed off as he looked at the mans hands that were out of his hat. He never quite got the hang of knowing if they took money from him or not. That part was a little tricky.

“Don’t mind me, boy. I was just listening to your music. You’re very good for someone your age.” The man said. He looked pretty well off. His clothes seemed pretty official and he had an important vibe that seemed to come off of him.

“Well… If you really wanna compliment me, you should leave a tip.” He didn’t exactly know how else to deal with a compliment like that. Most of the ones he got came in the form of beri. Plus this guy looked loaded, he could spare some cash.

There were some scandalized gasps around him, and he found that he was so focused on the man in front of him that he never noticed anything else. There was a group of men dressed similarly to the man that was crouched down in front of him. The weight of his mistake was started to hit him, because he didn’t want to start any trouble. If they were all dressed a like and everyone was all excited to see them, the only people he could see them being were the knights. And no one messed with the knights.

“I m-mean thank you sir! I work hard to be this good.” Hopefully he hadn’t stepped on his toes too much and upset him.

“Ya ha ha ha. You don’t need to be so formal with an old man like me. Why don’t you march with us. Your music will be a wonderful accompaniment.” The man smiled widely at him. Of all the ways he saw it going, that wasn’t even one he had thought of.

“Of course, sir!” He had no idea what else to call him. He knew the names of some of the knights, but he didn’t know enough to put faces to names.

“Just call me Cederik. And what can I call you, m’boy.” Brook knew that name. He had heard tales of the man cutting down armies and sea kings and walking away untouched. This wasn’t a man to be taken lightly in the least, and he was here talking to a nobody like him? He couldn’t believe this.

“Brook. My name’s Brook, si- Cederik.”

“Then come, Brook m’boy.”

He’d follow. Who was he to disagree with someone that powerful?


	2. Chapter 2

It was the most fun Brook had had in a while. Maybe even ever. He marched with the knights through the town, and when he was starting to get tired, Cederik put him on his shoulders and carried him the rest of the way. Brook hadn’t even known the town was this big. There was never any need for him to really explore, so he never really did. Today he had a great time seeing all of it. Especially since the knights were there with him.

But as most things did, the excitement was starting to come to an end. They had done their tour of the town, Brook had played for everyone as they marched, and there wasn’t much left to do other than for them to head to the pub for a couple drinks. The knights could probably get him in to keep hanging out with them, but it was getting late.

“Why don’t I take you home, Brook m’boy.” Cederik said, setting Brook back down on the ground. Brook stretched his legs a bit, they were getting a little stiff from sitting on his shoulders for so long.

“It’s not to far from here.” He’d lead the way. It was only a block or two away from the pub anyways. A little close for his comfort, but it was nice and close to the market place so it made the walk there way faster. It was a humble little home, but he’d say it was enough for now for what he needed.

Tucked between two buildings, deep out of the eyes of the public, was a tarp he stole from merchants years ago. It hung between the two buildings, making a little tent where a violin case sat mostly hidden under a ratty old blanket. It had been so long that Brook couldn’t actually remember where he got the blanket. Come to think of it, he didn’t remember where he got his violin either. They had been with him since before he even got his home set up. He was sure it’d come to him eventually.

As he did every night when he got back, he went over to the violin case and opened it. The money he was saving up was still tucked safely away in it. He grabbed his hat to add to the funds, when he realized that in the fun and excitement, he had actually forgotten to get tips. Out of all days, it had to be today.

“Damn it. I can’t believe I was so stupid!” He deflated a little. The knights had given him food while they were marching around, so that meant that he didn’t have to spend any money tonight. Today wasn’t a total loss.

“Is this really where you live, Brook?” Cederik’s voice was low, and didn’t sound like the cheery person he had known for that whole twelve hours.

“What’s wrong with it? I made it myself.” It wasn’t the best, but it was pretty good at keeping rain off him. Maybe not perfect, but this one was by far his best version of it. It took some work to get there, but he did it.

“Don’t you have parents? A house? Anything?” Maybe it was that bad. Brook was a musician, not a home builder. There were must’ve been tons of things wrong with it.

“Not that I know of. I’m pretty sure I’ve always been out here.”

Cederik stopped answering. Brook wasn’t sure what he had done wrong, but he knew he messed up somewhere. Cederik was so loud and excitable when they were at the parade. Or was this something like what happened to the townsfolk when the knights came and they were feeding off each other’s excitement and he wasn’t usually this energetic.

“Brook. I want you to pack up your stuff and come with me.” It didn’t feel like the fun invitation it was earlier. It sounded more like an order. Brook had no idea what happened when someone decided your house wasn’t good enough, but he guessed that it broke some sort of rule that he didn’t know about. He didn’t ask if he could live there. No one cared that he was there, so he never thought much of it.

He might never had met one before today, but Brook knew better than to argue with a knight. Especially one like Cederik. He had no idea how he’d react or what would happen, so it was best to gather up his things and not cause a fuss. Luckily he didn’t have that much stuff, so it was easy to gather it all.

He had barely managed to take a few steps to leave his little hide away, when Cederik scooped him up in his arms and carried him. Brook was stiff as a board as he tried to figure out what exactly it was that he was supposed to do.

“I cannot allow anyone, let alone a child live in conditions like these. I would no longer be fit to carry my title as a knight if I didn’t put in the effort to protect those in need and keep my people safe.” His words seemed so angry, but strangely enough, it didn’t feel like his anger was directed towards Brook.

Despite the rage in his voice, Brook still felt safe, strangely enough. Brook had never actually thought about what it meant to be a knight. It always seemed to be about fame and glory. But it was starting to become clearer to him what it meant to truly be a knight.

Brook pondered this until he found himself indoors, and placed on a bed. It was soft, and it was warm. “I’m going to ready a bath for you, and find some clothes for you to change into.”

“I’m fine with the clothes I got, you don’t have to get new stuff for me.” He was more than happy with just the bed. He didn’t need more stuff. Besides, he had hopped into the sea to clean off not that long ago, so him and his clothes were plenty clean.

“Brook m’boy, I’m the adult here. You don’t need to be worrying about me. I can take care of myself. As of now, It’s my job to take care of you.” There was a brief pause. “Hope the Missus don’t mind.”

The clothes that Brook put on after his bath were so different. He never how nice dry clothes could be after a bath. So much nicer than jumping into the shallow part of the ocean with your clothes on. He was so comfy, and all this was before Cederik had tucked him into bed. This blanket was so much heavier and cozier. Brook still had his other blanket with him as he was snuggled under the new blanket. It felt a lot like home, but it still wasn’t as warm as this new blanket.

“Get some rest, m’boy. Because tomorrow we’re heading back to the capital. I’ll stop off at home so you can meet the rest of my family.”


	3. Chapter 3

Brook had figured out why he had never tried to venture out of town to one of the small little villages. The distance between everything was so far. He didn’t have those big strong adult legs that all these knights had. He was still stuck with these spindly little baby legs. If it weren’t for the help of Cederik, Brook would have fallen behind ages ago.

The long distance aside, from Cederik’s shoulders, everything looked so beautiful. It was way calmer than the city he had known all of his life. Brook could appreciate the stillness of it all, even if there wouldn’t be anyone to listen to him play or tip him so he could have food money. Though that being said, that wasn’t a thing that he had to worry about anymore. Cederik said was going to take care of him from now on.

Thinking about it made his heart swell with happiness. He had a place where he belonged, and there was one person out there that wanted him. Even if he did feel like it was out of obligation, it still counted for something. And if it was only obligation, then Brook would do everything in his power to make it so that he wanted him there.

“I’m going to drop you off at my home before I report to the king, but once I’ve done that, I’ll return. It’ll be a great opportunity for you to meet my wife and my other boy. I’m sure you’ll get along just fine.” Brook had never really gotten the chance to make friends, or really casually talk with very many people. He never really had the time before. This would be uncharted waters for him, but now wasn’t the time for Brook to get scared. He had new clothes, tons of time, the promise of food, and a house to live in. There was nothing he had to worry about anymore.

“I’m sure the missus is gonna have some words with you. I don’t care how great this kid is. You didn’t even send her a letter giving her a heads up.” One of the other knights teased.

“Dulcina is a wonderful and understanding woman. Of all the things I’ve done in the past, I’m sure bringing home a kid off the street is one of the better things I’ve done.” Was Brook dressed nicely enough to meet her? These were his nicest clothes, but first impressions meant a lot right?

“How many beri you wanna bet by this time next week that his sons are off getting into trouble.” The knights laughed between each other.

“Delbert’s a good boy and you know it. He just happens to be a too much for some people, but those people don’t get to cherish him.” This whole situation felt like he was going to walk into a dangerous situation on a different level. Brook had never met this kid, and knew nothing other than Cederik loved this kid a lot, and he was maybe difficult to get along with. What would happen if Delbert didn’t like him? What would that mean for Brook?

Oh well. There was no point worrying about something he couldn’t control. The only thing to do would be to hope for the best, and maybe this kid wouldn’t be as bad as he was being made out to be by these other knights. So long as this kid wasn’t getting him kicked out of his home that he had just got, Brook could see him getting along fine with this kid.

Brooks eyes looked around for the house where Cederik and his family lived, but as his eyes scanned along the houses, his gaze was quickly drawn to the huge castle in the distance that peeked above the trees and looked over at the very least the town. It was bigger than any building or ship he had ever seen. Even those big ones that held all sorts of cargo in it looked tiny compared to it. It was so big a giant had to live there.

“One day I’ll bring you up there. I’m sure the next big celebration is just around the corner. Who knows, with the discipline you have from teaching yourself to play violin better than any adult I’ve ever heard, you could even be a knight like me one day.” Hearing from someone like Cederik that your knight material was really high praise. That meant that he actually had a chance to be one some day.

“Don’t say stuff like that. The kid could be a way better knight than you one day.” One of the knights laughed, playfully elbowing Cederik in the side.

“Jerold if there wasn’t an impressionable child here on my shoulders, I’d kick your ass all the way to the castle.” Cederik gave him a shove back, and they all laughed. Brook had only seen this kind of stuff in passing, but he never really got close enough to feel the comradery between them all. He had to admit that he felt a little jealous. Even if these were old men, this felt like something he was missing out on.

It didn’t take long before they had arrived at a humble little house in the village. It certainly didn’t look like a house where a knight would live, but Cederik stopped in front of it. “Alright, we’ll meet back here in an hour.” The knights nodded, and disbursed. “Well Brook m’boy, you ready to meet your new family?”

He didn’t think that he’d feel so giddy from one word being said, yet here he was. Family was such a magical word now. Now he knew why people liked it so much. “Let’s do it!”

Cederik ducked down to avoid hitting Brook’s head on the door frame. “I’m home!” He announced to the house. Immediately a kid came running over to him and attached to his leg.

“Welcome back, dad!” Cederik laughed and patted the boy on the head.

“I actually have a surprise for you. You know how you said you wanted a brother?”

“Yeah?” Brook had completely forgot that he would be a brother in this situation until Cederik had picked him up and set him down on the ground next to the kid.

“This is Brook, I’ve adopted him.” Then Cederik turned to him. “Brook, this is Delbert. He’s gonna be your new brother.”

Brook didn’t have time to ready himself before Delbert had grabbed him by the hand. “No one told me I was gonna have a new brother! I can’t wait to show you everything around here! Let’s start with my room!” Brook stumbled a little as he was pulled forward a little bit as he was drug away from Cederik, who started talking to a lady that had come over from a different room. He had a feeling that he should be glad he wasn’t going to be around for that one.

The room he was drug into wasn’t as big as the one he was in before with Cederik, but that was a room for kings and this was something that felt a little more his speed. “I dunno why no one told me. It’s not even my birthday or Chirstmas.”

“I don’t think anyone knew it was happening until it happened.” He didn’t either until it happened.

“That’s makes sense! Mom would’ve been really busy if she knew about you. Don’t worry! You can share my stuff until you get stuff of your own. My bed can probably fit the two of us!” Really no matter what happened, nothing could be worse than what he had before. It was nice to know that Delbert was as nice as his dad was.

“Okay!”


	4. Chapter 4

It had been maybe a week since he had started living there, but Brook felt like he had been living there forever. Who knew that hanging out with someone your own age could be so much fun? Maybe it had something to do with Delbert being a savant when it came to games. Here he had thought that Cederik was fun, but Delbert took it to a whole new level.

There had been a few pranks, but over all they weren’t getting into any trouble. They were good eggs. Anyone that was connected to Cederik couldn’t be bad. The other knights were nice, Delbert was nice, and Dulcina was really nice even after she yelled at Cederik for bringing him home. Cederik getting in trouble let Brook know how much fun it was for someone to get in trouble for something you were part of too, but to get a full pardon.

They had barely been together a week, but already Brook was starting to recognize that look that Delbert had in his eyes. It was the same one that he saved for when they were outside and out of the judging eyes of their mother, and that look he had when they were going to do something mischievous. Where Brook lovingly built his art in music, Delbert built his in getting into trouble. Maybe one day they could teach each other their ways.

“Hey Brook, y’know what I’m thinkin of doing today?” Brook never did, but he’d love to. His brain went to such amazing places.

“No, what?” Delbert pointed over to the castle with a cheshire grin.

“We’re gonna watch the knights train.”

Now this hadn’t been something that he expected. He was ready for a fun little prank, but this was something completely different. Watching the knights train meant that they’d have to break into the castle. “You do know that there’s guards around, right? Guards that train just as hard as the knights, meaning that they’re just as strong as the knights.”

Delbert kept his eyes on the castle, the look on his face never changing. “That’s part of the fun! They’re never going to expect two kids. Plus that’s only if we go in through a place that they’d expect. We can climb up the side of it.”

Brook took Delbert’s arms and shook them. “With what arm muscle?! We’re both so spindly! How do you think this is going to play out?” The answer was he didn’t. He planned nothing out here.

“Ye he he. Have some faith in your big brother. We can do this.” The look that he was giving him was too powerful, and Brook was too weak to resist. He couldn’t say no to him. Plus Brook couldn’t exactly say that he didn’t want to see them train either. He never got to see them in action, so them training would probably be the closest thing he was going to get to that.

“Fine… But you’re gonna have to be the one to figure this out.” Delbert gave him a solid slap on the back.

“That’s the spirit! It’s gonna be fine!” It was hard to disagree with that face. It’d be a bit of a walk, but they set off towards the castle anyways. It didn’t look like it was that far away, so really how bad could it be?

Turned out that this was him coming to the town all over again. It looked so close, but that was mostly because it was so big. It was deceptive, and uphill, and Brook couldn’t say he appreciated either of those facts. But he wasn’t about to have chicken sounds made at him, so he’d press on.

They both sat down and leaned against the wall to catch their breath after that steep walk up. “We can’t go up the path or else they’ll catch us.” Brook mocked, wishing they could’ve gone up the easy way.

“Well we didn’t get caught, did we?” Brook gave him a gentle shove as Delbert laughed it off. They both got up and assessed the new situation. “We might not have to climb all the way up.”

Brook followed where Delbert was looking, and stared at the big window on what looked to be the second story. His gaze went back down to Delbert, who looked pleased at his solution. “How?”

Not using his words, Delton simply climbed up onto the close window sill that would be much better to go in through. “Shhh… Just get up here and let me climb on your shoulders.” He could not be serious. This wasn’t going to go well. They were both going to fall down that hill and have to start all over again.

But despite all sense of reason, Brook climbed up and let Delbert climb up him. As his brother tried to climb up to the next level, Brook kept watch and tried not to get a foot in his face. There had to be guards around if they had to come in through this window and not the one that they were on right now.

He’d stop paying attention for guards when he stopped feeling his brother’s feet on his shoulders and didn’t hear a thud. Brook looked up to see his brother looking down at him with a big grin and a hand extended down to him.

Brook had to jump for it, but he and Delbert did make it up to that second level. “I take it back, you’re a genius.” Delbert beamed and flipped his hair.

“Don’t sound so surprised.”

But now that they were up there, they had to find the courtyard. Delbert had a better chance of knowing, so Brook turned to him. His brother was looking back at him. “I thought that you’d know the way there.”

“I just said that I’d get us in. It’s your turn to be the genius.” Brook should’ve taken the other part. It was so much easier to get in without being caught. Now they had to figure out which way to go and also not get caught.

Brook sighed, but there was nothing to do at this point. “Well there has to be a window that looks out over it, right?” Training happened outside, right?

“That makes sense, lead the way.” Why couldn’t this just be easy. With another sigh, Brook started to lead them down the hallway. They’d duck behind the closest thing if they heard even the smallest noise. Delbert just had to throw them into the deepest part of the castle, didn’t he. Looking back he even looked proud of himself. They did a great job, but that wasn’t the point right now.

The further they went, the more it felt like they had just gone in a big square (given the building wasn’t round). The side that they needed the windows to be on never seemed to pop up. All there were was doors, and Brook wasn’t about to blow their cover by waltzing into a room they extra weren’t supposed to be in. Delbert signed in annoyance. “This isn’t working. Let’s just start opening doors and see if they lead us anywhere.” He said, knowing that that was a bad idea but went ahead and did it anyways.

Given their luck, they opened the door to the king’s room. He looked up from his book and stared at them, while they stood there frozen in fear. This meant that they were going to be in serious trouble. Like the most advanced trouble they had ever been in ever. Brook had to think fast, or else this was all over for them.

Playing violin felt right. He didn’t even think about it before it was out and he was playing it. He was going to keep playing, and back away so Delbert could close the door and they could run and hide somewhere. This could work. There were tons of places that they hid in before that could work now.

“Hi King Auldric, do you have a window that looks out into the courtyard?” Delbert asked like they were old friends and that this was them stopping over for a friendly visit and not them bursting in to his castle full of guards without asking.

The king stared at them for a moment. “How did you both get in here?” If Delbert was going to lie, this would be the ideal time to do that. Brook didn’t care what he said, so long as he didn’t-

“-We snuck in so we could watch our dad train.” Now they were all going to be in trouble. Why would he say something like that?

“You must be Cederik’s boys. It’s been ages since I’ve seen you, Delbert. You’ve grown so big. And you must be Brook. You’re just as talented as your father said you were.” Brook’s bow slide clean off the strings and he almost dropped his violin. How did everyone keep catching him off guard like this? How did he not now how anything was going to go ever?

“Uhhhhhhhh… Thanks?” Delbert let himself in the room, like this was a thing to do, and peered out the window.

“Hey Brook come over here! I can see them training!” The excitement briefly overcame the fear and confusion he felt just seconds ago, and he also ran over to the window.

They all moved with such precision. Every move was so well planned and he didn’t think he even saw them land a single blow, yet their targets were all torn up. He never thought that one person could be that powerful.

“I take it you boys are interested in becoming knights, are you?” There was nothing cooler out there than knights, who wouldn’t want to be one?

“Of course!” Both him and Delbert answered in unison. The king chuckled a bit.

“How about I see if I can arrange something for you boys. I’m sure I can find someone who can train you.” Both him and Delbert looked at each other with excitement. Who would’ve guessed that they could wander randomly into a room and get knight lessons just like that!

They should break into castles more often.


	5. Chapter 5

After their accidental meeting with the king, they had gotten lessons from one of the old retired knights. Lady Mildred was strong and ruthless. She was deceptively small and really old. She looked like she could be the King’s grandma, but she was absolutely ruthless when it came to training. She made sure that never once they skipped out on training for something dumb like they didn’t want to. Being a knight looked like so much fun, but it was a lot more work that either of them had thought it was.

Both boys had toiled through years of practice that focused on form and stance. They weren’t even allowed to touch swords until they both had everything down to her satisfaction. And when they weren’t focused on that, she had them running through the countryside until they were both run ragged. They could only imagine what she was like in her prime. She had to have been some sort of monster.

It was tough when they were little kids, but their training got so much harder ever since they were old enough to join the knight academy. They could let some stuff slip before, but now there was no mercy. Not even the most minor mistake was allowed.

“Mind your feet! You can’t expect to land a solid blow with clumsy footing like that!” She smacked the back of Brook’s leg with a old wooden sword. He slid his foot to where it was supposed to be.

“Yes Ma’am.”

Del was the next one to receive a blow, but to his knuckles. Brook was far too familiar of how hard it was to not lose your sword when she did that. “And you! Mind your form! You’ll never strike an opponent as fast as you need to with noodle wrists.

There were some chuckles from the peanut gallery, of the other knights in training that had gathered as they waited for their turn with their own instructors once they cleared out for the day. “You poor bastards. We’ll pray for you when Lady Mildred’s done with you.” Malin laughed. There was something that made Brook feel a little better when Malin got a blow to the ankles as well.

“You little upstarts will do well to not forget that I am in charge of the examinations later. Your form and stance will be tested just as thoroughly as these two. You’d do well to get your practice in before tomorrow!” Brook’s stomach churned a bit at the thought of tomorrow. The examination was so close, and he couldn’t even pretend like he was remotely close to being ready.

His pity party was cut short as he was smacked again with that wooden sword. “Don’t let your mind wander! Death awaits those who can’t focus on their fights!” She gave him another smack, knowing how distracting it was to be hit with a sword. He’d bite his tongue. He didn’t wanna do more laps today.

Lady Mildred struck the ground with her wooden sword. “You are dismissed for the day.” She announced, before using her sword as a cane to head back to the castle. It still amazed Brook to see her go from a feared monster back to a tiny old lady. She certainly wasn’t as spry as she was when she started training them, but she was still as good at teaching as the day they met her.

They waited until she was out of sight, before Brook and Del both let themselves slump over into a heap on the floor. Those sessions were exhausting. “Man the King must hate you guys if he’s stuck you with her as a teacher.” Malin commented, knowing that he could go back to picking their asses now that she was out of earshot.

“Are you kidding? I think he loves us. He set us up with the best teacher in all Thriller Bark. Even if she is maybe the oldest.” Del laughed an airy laugh as he caught his breath.

“You say that like we haven’t been training our asses off since we got here.” Wymer joined in.

“You say that like your teachers are even half as intense as Lady Mildred.” Brook rubbed the newest developing bruises on him. Malin smirked at him.

“Then how bout we make a bet. Whoever gets the worst score on their finals out of the four of us has to so the other three’s chores once we’re knights.”

“That’s assuming you make it.” Brook snorted, despite his own doubts about making the cut. Malin shrugged.

“Bold words from someone who’s got his ass kicked by an old lady.” Everyone there knew that only a fool doubted Lady Mildred’s strength. “I’m gonna head to bed. I got a lot of ass to kick tomorrow.”

Wymer followed him out, leaving the brothers in the courtyard to examine their newest bruises to add to their collection. The silence left room for the doubt to creep back in. They both had a lot of bruises on them compared to everyone else. Sure they had a tougher teacher, but it was still so many more spots that showed where they slipped up.

“You don’t really think he’s going to do better than you, do you? You’ve trained harder than anyone here. You’re going to wipe the floor with all of them.” Del smiled. “Worst case scenario we have to hear Malin and Wymer brag about how good they are and we train harder and kick their asses later. It’s gonna be fine.”

Del really had a way with words. He wasn’t eloquent, but he knew how to throw words together to make him feel better. “We should get some rest then. No way I’m letting those bastards one up me tomorrow.”

The gave each other a smile as they headed back to the sleeping quarters. It was going to be a hassle to get to sleep tonight, but at least he knew that everyone else was in the same situation as he was. Misery sure did love company.

The next morning, they were all lined up. If Brook had gotten up as early as he would’ve liked, he wouldn’t have been so far in the back of the line. At least Del was back there with him so at the very least he was in good company while he waited.

Knights and locals had all gathered round to spectate. But the most important eyes on this were King Audric, the other knight instructor, and Lady Mildred. As far as Brook was concerned, that was his entire audience today. Though if he impressed any fine young maidens in the audience, he wouldn’t be upset by it.

Malin was one of the first to get tested. Brook couldn’t say he was a master of this sort of thing yet, but he could see that his wrist was too floppy. It was a clean cut, but that delay between swing and cut was nonexistent. Still he looked over confidently at them as he got his applause.

Wymer wasn’t any better. His cut was instant. And so were all the swings of the students that tested before them. Brook and Del looked to each other and struggled to stay silent. Any lingering worry that sat like a weight in his stomach was gone. He and his brother had this in the bag. Who knew that this whole time everyone else was still stuck with the basics. Maybe they should’ve stopped by to watch them train before this.

As the day went on, they started doubling up the students. Everyone had things to do, and this year’s class must’ve been bigger than the last’s. Del and Brook both stepped forward for their turn. Lady Mildred was no doubt going to mark them harder, but they had already knew they had been working on more advanced stuff.

They readied their swords, and steadied their breathing. No one else mattered, and all their was in the entire world was him and this dummy. He minded his footing as he approached and swung. Slowly, the world started to come back into view as he stepped away from it. Silence filled the court as they returned their swords to their sheathed position.

As the sword quietly clicked back into place, the nervous murmurs in the audience erupted into cheers as the dummies burst open. Though that was nothing compared to the feeling of the silent nod of approval and smile that they got from Lady Mildred. She wasn’t the maiden he had hoped to impress, but the validation it gave him might’ve been more important to him now than anything else right now.

They both bowed and went back into line, doing their very best to keep a straight face. They were going to celebrate hard after today. The rest of the students went and did their testing, but Brook and Del barely noticed. The relief that came with doing so good on their test was enough to have them miss almost all of them.

“Alright. The results for the testing today will be up outside the dining room. The ceremony will be tonight. Thank you for all your hard work you’ve put in over the years.” King Audric announced, before leaving, followed by the other instructor and Lady Mildrid.

There was a pause as they waited for them to be out of sight for the testing to be officially over. But once they were gone, Brook and Del hugged each other as they jumped about squealing with delight.

“You did so amazing! I was gonna say that! We both nailed it!” They both beamed, letting the ecstasy of the situation take them over.

Their moment was cut short by the other knights to be who all coming over to them now. It made was such a different feeling from the other night when they were getting chuckles at their minor form missteps. “You guys are going to show us how to do that right? You should’ve told us you were that far ahead.” Malin complained.

“Too late to back out now. Looks like you’re gonna be the one having to scrub the floors.”

“Goddamnit.” The group that had gathered laughed with them over his hubris.

Brook had to say, this felt like some drinks, and a song.


	6. Chapter 6

One of the perks of being a top of his class graduate, meant that Brook got the best jobs out of everyone. He still had to patrol around the castle, but he also got to go out to the villages to make sure they were still safe and deal with brigands and the like. It was a way cooler job than having to walk around a stuffy old castle all day.

Though this was a different job than what he was used to. He was given the chance to be one of the King’s escorts. He might not’ve been mature enough to say “escort” without giggling, but he was an excellent fighter and was told he was one of their best knights. His dad had long since retired, so this was a job for him and Del to cover now.

They were representing their country now, so they had to be mature. And stop thinking about how they were the best escorts the king could get. He looked at Del with his best attempt to hold back laughter. Their mother gave them a stern look. “Stop thinking about the word escort!”

This made them burst out laughing to the point they were on pounding their fists on the wood of the docks. Their laughing fit was brought to an end by their father putting a hand on their shoulders. Brook had a feeling that this was going to change suddenly into tears by his dad saying something mushy.

“Good luck on your trip. Make me and your mother even prouder.” Oh he was right, he was going to cry. “And be the best damn escorts on these seas.” They all burst out laughing again as their mother sighed. She knew exactly the kind of company she had chosen to keep. She helped make him and the men they were today.

“You boys ready to go?” It felt strange to hear. He had spent eighteen years here and even to leave it felt odd. But at the same time, something about this felt so right. Like the seas were calling to him or something. They gave their hugs goodbye, and boarded up their ship and headed off.

They didn’t really have all the details for what this was, but this was some sort of gathering of countries. Royalty from all over were going to get together and discuss whatever it was that royalty did. Policies or whatever.

Brook didn’t have to get it. All he had to do was keep King Auldric safe. That and not start any international conflict, but that part sounded easy enough. They were all likable men, and who didn’t like a good escort from time to time. Brook had dealt with far scarier things. All of those went well, so he just needed to keep a level head, and there was no doubt that he’d do a great job of this too.

Even if he had spent his early days in that busy little town overlooking the sea, Brook never really considered how big the sea was. There was never really a chance for him to. He sat up there with the king and looked out into a seemingly never ending blanket of blue. It reminded him of the songs he used to hear at port. It made him glad he brought his violin. The event looked to be days away at the very least. It was them and the crew of the ship, so it wasn’t as if they had anything to worry about at that point.

A few days was an understatement, it was more like a few weeks before they had gotten there. At the very least, the company on the ship was good. He couldn’t imagine if it had been just him and the king. He was a great guy, but him and King Auldric were very different men. was someone he knew for a fact would be fine with some raunchy jokes. He could not imagine telling jokes like that to someone like the king.

But once they got there, they were immediately shown to be the very little fish in a very big pond. The ships around them were huge, and they all looked up at the huge elevator that took huge groups of people up to a place so high up he couldn’t see the top. Everyone else looked so confident, like this was the most normal thing in the world.

So that meant that they couldn’t afford to show weakness. They were strong, and they were just as good as these other countries. Brook didn’t even know anything about these other countries, some of them could be even smaller than theirs. That was what he was going to do. Like picturing someone in their underwear. Looking over to , he seemed to be adjusting just fine. He was always better at rolling with the punches. It made Brook feel a little better that he didn’t have to worry about him, though.

Actually being up there was a lot less fun than he had pictured it. It was sort’ve a stuffy event. They were all speaking about world events that Brook had no frame of reference to outside of the occasion glance into a newspaper when something exciting looked like it was happening. It all sounded so much more boring than the papers made it all sound.

He gave up paying attention to what was being said and started to look at the other guests. His world must really have been small, because everyone of these people all dressed so wildly. Some of them even looked as wild as they dressed. He wouldn’t say anything, because given the situation, they probably looked at him the same way. His nation wasn’t exactly one that was on center stage, so they couldn’t possibly be that well known.

But there was one person who he had a hard time taking his eyes off of. There was something that felt so powerfully unsettling about this man. It was almost like seeing the same look in a brigand’s eyes, but more more. It wasn’t Brook’s place to judge, but there was something that felt so sinister about this man. He’d keep an eye on him and his men. He couldn’t trust them yet.

But the event passed without any incident. They were preparing to board their ship, when King Goddard approached them with his unreadable guards. “King Auldric, was it? I don’t believe we got the chance to properly introduce myself.” The other king held out his hand. “I am King Goddard, King of the Germa Kingdom. It’s my pleasure to meet you.”

King Audric must’ve sensed his tension, and gently patted both him and before shaking the other king’s hand. There had to be something up if both of them felt something wrong about this man. Brook’s gut may have steered him wrong in the past, but never Del’s. “The pleasure is all mine. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I simply wanted to meet you is all. May our next meeting be even more prosperous than this.” Brook felt something behind those words. Maybe he was being paranoid, but there was something about that that made him feel tense. Like something had breathed on the back of his neck. But the king had told them to stand down, so he wouldn’t do anything.

King Goddard smiled and marched off towards his ship. Brook watched as he disappeared into the distance. It wasn’t going to stop him from being on his guard, but at least for now they were gone. They were out of immediate danger. King Audric’s hand went up to Brook’s shoulder.

“Pay him no mind. There’s nothing our nation has that they’d want.” Brook took a deep breath and let it out. These were first time out to sea nerves. Just because you have a gut feeling about something doesn’t mean it’s right. Del was in the same boat as he was. This would be fine.

They returned to sea, and eventually Brook thought nothing of it. He wasn’t afraid of any brigand, and he wasn’t afraid of King Goddard. It might’ve taken a day or two, but they were back to sea shanties in no time. They had done their job and now all they had to do was to follow him back to the castle once they hit the shore.

When they returned, the looks of awe on the people’s faces looked different. It felt like a frosty reception on their part, which was odd given how they felt at the very least about the king. He was beloved by all. Brook and Del might’ve been knights, but they were also known jackasses so maybe it’d be understandable if their looks were more of contempt. But these felt different.

There was a distant rumble. Brook looked up to look for clouds, he was sure that they would’ve been given a warning by the crew if the weather was going to turn bad. They were in the dock now, but it would’ve been nice to know. But Brook soon found that it wasn’t thunder, as the boat violently lurched forward.

Who would be attacking them? Brook ran over to the other side of the boat to see what was going on, and his eyes fixed on one thing in particular. An anger boiled inside of him that he couldn’t tell if he felt at himself, these bastards, or god. He knew that flag.

The Germa Kingdom.

They had no reason to be here. This little country had nothing for them, and they had nothing to gain from this. They were poorer and had a weaker military. Was this just a naked display of power? He had to do something. Brook rushed to the edge towards the people. “Everyone! Evacuate the city in an orderly fashion! Head to the nearest villages and cities!”

There was no plan. They just needed to be not here. “Take the king and help get the citizens to safety.”

“If you’re going to die, there’s no way I’m going to let your selfish ass leave me behind. Is that alright with you, King Auldric?”

“I might be old, but I can take care of myself, you boys come back safe.” A royal order. It’d be nice to keep it, but they stared down the massive ship full of men and the reality of the matter was almost overwhelming. Brook supposed that he’d do his best.

“Looks like all the stamina training is finally going to pay off.”

“Looks like.” They just had to hold off until reinforcements showed up. If they saved their people, then this could be counted as a victory regardless. There’d be more knights, and what was even the point if they didn’t put in the effort to keep their people safe. The king gave them an order, but their duty was to the people first. This was the scenario they trained for.

“Excuse me, Mr. Captain, but do you mind if I borrow your boat?” The captain nodded and made a run for it with his crew. They had spent the week watching them do this. This wouldn’t be a problem at all.

That was a little bit of an exaggeration, given their boat had a hole, and there were still cannonballs on their way. They didn’t need to make it a long way, they just needed to go far enough to ram the boat into the other boat. It was going down anyways. It might not’ve been the best plan, but now they were close enough to actually defend themselves.

They definitely had the numbers advantage, but every minute they had their attention was another life they were potentially saving. And if he let his guard down for a second, his brother would be slaughtered for sure. It was like being a knight in training again. All that existed were those intruders, and he’d cut every last one of them down. He’d walk past them and clink his sword against the ground.

Just as the bag and brigands before them, they burst into a mess exactly like they were supposed to. He looked over to see how his brother was doing, because was no slouch either. It’d be nothing to him, just like it was for Brook.

But he looked at the wrong time, and saw a spear run clear through his brother. And then another, and another. How could they have done this? Del was talented. Maybe even more talented than Brook was, how could be over taken so easily?

The answer became clear when one of the bastards he had cut to ribbons had gotten up and was back on his feet like nothing happened. These weren’t regular soldiers. These were monsters. How could humans like them stand a chance against monsters?

His guard and morale had dropped long enough for him to be the next victim. These ones chose swords, and it was Brook’s turn to be cut to ribbons. Before he could even react, he was kicked overboard. The last thing he saw as he started to black out, was the lifeless face of his brother.


	7. Chapter 7

He had washed up on a shore somewhere. No one was around for as far as he could see. His sword was still in his hand. The thought of how easy that it’d be to end his life on that lonely beach certainly was there. He had failed his country and his family, but Del wouldn’t have wanted that. What kind of apology was that anyways. Whether he wanted to or not, he couldn’t roll over and die. He had to assess the damage. It’d be grizzly, but he had to see if there were any survivors. He had a duty to his people. He couldn’t abandon his title now of all times.

They were awful bandages, but his clothes were going to have to do for now. He looked terrible on the inside and the out, but he was going to have to keep pushing through. The paths in the forest were something that he could recognize well enough. He had patrolled this paths enough times that he should be able to travel from town to town by the muscle memory alone. But now they were so different.

Foliage was torn and trampled, and littered with corpses of faces that he couldn’t bare to look at. Some butchered beyond recognition. These were people he knew. These were people he failed. Germa would pay. Every body he came across, every village burned to cinders, that was another nail in their coffin. An eye for an eye may make the world go blind, but so was justice, right?

He’d be back to bury these people. They didn’t deserve to be left out like this like common brigands. They wouldn’t be proper burials, but Brook would do his damnedest. But before he could do any of that, he needed to fix himself. Every part of him ached, and he knew he had to find some care for himself, and that port town where it all started was his best hope.

There wouldn’t be any hope for that city, but at least there was land, and a place to look for berries, fruit, and animals to hunt in the surrounding forest. Plus he imagined the news wouldn’t have spread that fast about what had happened. He doubted the crew members survived the slaughter, so who would there be to tell of his country burned to cinders. Germa sure as hell wasn’t going to. They had a reputation to uphold, after all. There’d probably still be the odd merchant that he’d pray was more merciful than the ones that were around him as a kid on those very streets.

He barely made it over the threshold of the sea town when he had overestimated the damage that had been done to him from the battle. The pain wasn’t lost on him, but he had over done it. His body couldn’t take anymore. He was at his limits, and he collapsed on the outskirts of the rubble that was that village. He almost appreciated the irony of the situation. After all the work he had done, he was right back to square one, with nothing but a soaked violin and the clothes on his back. At least he had lived a good life. A bitter reminder as to how cruel the world was.

A life that against all odds didn’t seem to be over. After what felt like a moment, he opened his eyes to find him laying on a blanket in the ruins of the town. He didn’t know where the blanket had come from, nor how he was still alive, yet here he was.

“Hey! Great to see you up. Nearly lost ya there.” A man smiled back at him. He sat down next to him, putting a hand on him to insist he stay down. “Hey, you look like you had a rough go of it. Take it easy for a bit. I’ll play you a song to help you relax.”

He pulled out a violin of his own from somewhere above Brook’s head. A sharp shooting pain of panic shot through him as his eyes focused on it. “Don’t worry. She’s mine.” After a quick little warm up, the man started to play songs that reminded Brook of the sailors and merchants he used to listen to as a child.

It was a nice change of pace to be the one to be played to instead of being the one doing the playing. He could get used to that. “So, patches, how long have you been playing the violin?” He asked, never breaking from the melody.

“Oh, well I used to play all the time as a kid. I’d play to get money to pay for food and I was trying to save up to travel to a little village. I couldn’t actually tell you when I started though.” He couldn’t even remember getting that violin. She had done him well over these years. There had been repairs done to her, but you could still tell that she was ancient.

“You got any plans for when you get better?” It seemed like a really odd question to ask someone that you’ve bandaged up in a country in ruins.

“Well, I was thinking of stopping in the towns and burying the dead. Y’know, as a last service. I am… was a knight in this kingdom.” But now it sat in ruin. He did all he could but it still stung. “But after that, I don’t know.”

“How about you come with me? I’ve been lookin for people to join me. Thought I made a bad first stop, but I think I found the perfect partner.”

“Partner in what?”

“Well I’m starting a crew. Open to music lovers, and we’ll go from place to place and we’ll bring happiness wherever we go. Someone as well trained in violin would be more than welcome to join!” It was so corny, but Brook couldn’t help but smile a little.

“So we’d be a band of two violinists?” Not a great start, but he supposed it was still something.

“We’ll be a pirate crew of two violinists.”

“I don’t think you know what I pirate is.” Because they weren’t usually the bring smile to people’s faces type of people. They were more the stab you and take your possessions kind.

“A pirate can do whatever they want. And if making people happy is what I want to do, then that’s the kind of pirate I’ll be.” They might’ve been the oddest words he’s ever heard.

“How about if you help me finish up here, I’ll join your crew. The best revenge is living a happy life, right?” This seemed like the right answer, because the man beamed brightly. It hurt a little familiar, but he wasn’t about to turn that warmth feeling he was missing away, even if it did burn.

“Hell yeah it is! I’d be glad to help!”

“I’m Brook.”

“Corgi.”


End file.
